Latest news with #WorkoutBuddy
Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Health
- Digital Trends
This watchOS 26 feature has me excited for the Apple Watch again
Ahead of Apple's long-awaited WWDC keynote earlier this month, the company was widely reported to be working on a new AI-powered doctor that could potentially help you diagnose common conditions, recognize potential illnesses, and understand your overall health. The rumored Apple AI doctor had me excited for WWDC, but as we saw, Apple held off on announcing this feature, presumably for a later date. However, WWDC 2025 did introduce a new feature to WatchOS 26 that isn't a doctor, but rather a friend in the gym who keeps you motivated. Recommended Videos The Workout Buddy feature is not the rumored AI doctor, but rather a different feature that's both interesting and incredibly unique. Here's why I'm excited for the Workout Buddy, and crucially, what this could mean for the Apple Watch and Apple Health in general. Meet your Apple Watch, aka your Workout Buddy Apple's push towards making the Apple Watch the center of your health journey comes to the fore with the innovative new Workout Buddy feature, which offers personalized, spoken information and motivational techniques during a workout. In short, Workout Buddy is designed to provide you with the encouragement, resources, and personalized coaching to help you achieve your goals. Lacking the motivation for that final push before you wrap up the day's session in the gym? Workout Buddy should help you push through for that final stint. Hitting new personal bests and wish someone could recognize them in that moment? Workout Buddy is there with your Apple Watch to give you recognition, provide you with information on your times, and encourage you to keep pushing yourself. There are also many other features, such as the Smart Stack on the watch face, additional contextual information, and new customizable voices for motivational feedback, including two created by Apple Fitness+ trainers. If numbers are your jam, Workout Buddy will also read out key summary stats at the end of your workout, so you don't need to find the information later. Why I'm excited about the future of Workout Buddy As it stands, I am probably not the target audience for the new Workout Buddy. Neck and cardiac issues mean I am not as active as I want to be, and I can't run thanks to the impact on my spinal cord. This means that some of the more specific features designed for runners won't be useful to me. That said, this is the direction I've been waiting for Apple to go in. With enough data points — which Apple has billions of — AI could prove to be the next frontier in healthcare technology that we've been waiting for. Workout Buddy is a good step in this direction, but it scratches the surface and breaks the barrier, similarly to the earliest Gemini features for Android. Where the potential for Workout Buddy is strongest is, ironically, outside of Workouts. Apple Health is the primary source of information in my health circle, and it pulls data from every device I use, as well as from my electronic medical records provider. The feature I'm most missing? AI that can summarize all of this, find key outliers or new data points, and provide recommendations on how to improve the specific health markers I've highlighted. It turns out that I'm ultimately looking for AI to perform the calculations that I've done manually, but automate the entire process. Imagine a world where AI is your doctor on demand Have you seen the movie i-Robot? There's a particularly prescient scene related to the AI powering all the NX5 robotos, as well as a demonstration of how it can be used for nefarious purposes. It turns out that, while this is just movie magic, it raises an interesting question. The world of AI is rapidly progressing, yet it has not been widely applied in the healthcare space, at least not in a consumer-facing manner. I suspect that Workout Buddy could be the first step towards Apple launching an AI-powered health suite, one where AI can be used to help diagnose, reassure, and pacify patients. Much of this is abject, but what could it look like? I would love to see an AI doctor — or an assistant, for that matter — that can review all my health data, understand my ailments and comorbidities, and provide personalized recommendations. I have diabetes and check my CGM multiple times per hour to understand the trends, but it would be much easier if I knew that it was also being monitored separately. My CGM is capable of providing alerts and displaying trends, but it feels like a small step towards the AI-powered health future we've been waiting for. For my own selfish needs, I also hope that includes an AI that can match my activity levels with my heart data, CGM information, and medical records to predict when my sugar may run low, or whether I've worked out enough or pushed myself hard enough to achieve predefined goals. Workout Buddy isn't the AI Doctor I was waiting for, but it's a crucial first step that has me excited to try the WatchOS 26 public beta when it is released next month.
Tom's Guide
16-06-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
One UI 8 Beta rolling out now — here's the 3 biggest upgrades for your Samsung Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch owners are about to get a bit more insight into their health and sleep, and even get some more encouragement when they go out on runs. The company today launched One UI 8 beta, the latest version of its operating system for its wearable devices, which contains several new features that should make Samsung's devices more competitive with not just the best smartwatches, but also the best Garmin watches, too. Here's a rundown of all the new features, as well as the devices they'll work with. Running Coach The Running Coach feature will analyze your fitness level — you just need to go on a 12-minute run — and then deliver detailed training plans for running a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or a full marathon. The Coach will provide training designed to improve your performance, but not push you too hard to cause potential injuries. More interestingly, it will also provide motivation during your training by saying encouraging phrases while you're running, as well as telling you your current pace and effort level. This reminds us of the Workout Buddy in Apple's watchOS 26. Bedtime Guidance and Vascular Load Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. While some Galaxy Watches can detect sleep apnea, the new Bedtime Guidance feature aims to get you to bed at a more reasonable hour to ensure you're getting enough shuteye. The watch will analyze your circadian rhythm and "sleep pressure" — how much you need sleep — over a three-day period and suggest a bedtime for you to get the optimal amount of sleep. Samsung says this feature will be especially helpful if you have to travel across multiple timezones, and your normal sleep patterns are interrupted. While you sleep, the watch will also measure your vascular load — an indicator of overall heart health — to see if you need to make any other adjustments to your overall routine. Antioxidant Index Are you eating enough fruits and veggies? The Galaxy Watch Ultra's Bio-Active sensor can now measure the amount of carotenoids (antioxidants found in green and orange vegetables and fruits) stored in your skin. To activate the feature, you simply hold your finger to the sensor, and after a few seconds, the watch will return a figure stating if your carotenoid levels are too low. The One UI 8 Beta is available for the Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Galaxy Watch 6, Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, Galaxy Watch FE, Galaxy Watch 7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra. However, not all features in One UI 8 will work with every model. The Running Coach feature will be available with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 or later. The Bedtime Guidance will work with a wider range of Galaxy Watches, but the Vascular Load feature will only be available with the Galaxy Watch Ultra or later. Similarly, the Antioxidant Index will only be available with the Galaxy Watch Ultra or later. We expect that all these features will be available with the Galaxy Watch 8, which we anticipate will be announced during a Galaxy Unpacked event next month.
Tom's Guide
16-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
I didn't ask for an AI bot on the Apple Watch, but we're getting one anyway
Last week at WWDC 2025, Apple announced a ton of new features coming to iPhone, Mac and iPad later in the year. But as a former fitness editor, I was most interested in what's going on with the Apple Watch. When watchOS 26 lands in the fall, the best Apple Watches will get a Liquid Glass refresh (no, this isn't a new type of screen, but a translucent design language), a simplified Control Centre for quick access to settings and some new customization features. But the main event of Apple's smartwatch plans is the new AI-backed Workout Buddy. In the Newsroom post announcing all these features, Apple suggests that it'll give you a 'personalized pep talk' like: 'Way to get out for your run this Wednesday morning. You're 18 minutes away from closing your Exercise ring. So far this week, you've run 6 miles. You're going to add to that today.' Does that sound helpful? Not to me, anyway. I'm not sure that I need to pay several hundred dollars for a device that'll tell me things I already know. Don't get me wrong; I think the Apple Watch is easily the best smartwatch available right now (it's just a shame it doesn't work on Android). I recommend it to pretty much anyone with an iPhone because, unless you need something more focused on intense training (in which case, a Garmin watch would do you well), there's nothing better. But the Workout Buddy sounds like Oura's similarly uninspiring AI Advisor — another tool I tend to just ignore. It's not the concept that I dislike — I think actionable insights based on your specific data could be really useful — but the implementation of these features feels a bit like an afterthought. The example Apple gave for Workout Buddy just sounds like it's reading numbers at you, not really understanding them. And from the WWDC demo, it seems to just add a few extra words to features that already exist in other fitness watches, like an audio summary of your run or updates when you've hit a certain distance. So, it's like what you can get already but with 'Added AI' — so you get friendly phrases like, "you're crushing it." It's a similar criticism aimed at Strava's Athlete Intelligence workout summaries, which tell you how far you ran and in what time with a few other metrics that used to just be on the screen at the end of a session, but with more words. In fairness, maybe this isn't an Apple problem, but the way that technology tends to reduce exercise to a series of goals to tick off or targets to hit. I go for a walk every morning, but I don't care if I hit a certain amount of steps — for me, the benefit is spending some mindful time outside. But how can an app on a smartwatch understand that? And that's the disconnect; the intelligence part of all these AI features just isn't there, at least, not yet. Your Apple Watch doesn't know why you chose to go for a run, do a yoga session or take a walk. Strava doesn't know if you're not feeling your best so ran slower, and your Oura Ring 4 doesn't know that it was the noise of a plane that woke you up early, effecting your sleep. All these apps can see is something quantifiable, easily read by a sensor and turned into a number for you to measure yourself against. But exercise, sleep and metal wellbeing can't be defined by numbers alone. And until Workout Buddy and other AI features can really understand this, I'll be leaving them firmly in the off position.
Hans India
14-06-2025
- Hans India
Apple Watch: New AI fitness coach ‘Workout Buddy' launches soon
Apple is enhancing your workout experience with its latest feature—Workout Buddy, set to launch with watchOS 26 later this year. This AI-powered personal coach uses Apple Intelligence to deliver real-time feedback, voice-guided encouragement, and personalized stats during your workouts. Whether you're running outdoors, cycling, walking, or doing strength training, Workout Buddy keeps you motivated. It greets you when you start, celebrates milestones mid-session, and summarizes key stats—like heart rate, pace, and distance—at the end. Workout Buddy uses a text-to-speech AI model, inspired by Fitness+ trainers, to make the voice sound more natural and human-like. All processing is done on-device, ensuring your privacy and data security. To use this feature, you'll need an Apple Watch compatible with watchOS 26, Bluetooth headphones, and a supported iPhone (15 Pro and above, or iPhone 16 series). watchOS 26 also brings a Liquid Glass UI, smarter notifications, larger Workout app buttons, and music recommendations tailored to your exercise style.
CNET
13-06-2025
- CNET
Apple's Workout Buddy Is Friendly, but What if It Could Adopt Other Personalities?
We all have different ways of motivating ourselves to exercise, so when Apple announced Workout Buddy for the Apple Watch at WWDC 2025, it made us think about what sorts of verbal encouragement would spur us to complete our workouts. We couldn't help but imagine the different types of future Workout Buddies -- and how they might help, cajole or even bargain with us to hit our fitness goals. Workout Buddy in WatchOS 26 will be available at the outset in eight workouts (such as running and cycling) that you can activate when the workout begins. It exists as a voice through the watch and Bluetooth headphones or earbuds and is modeled on actual Apple Fitness Plus trainers. Workout Buddy can deliver progress indicators, stats and vocal encouragement as you push through an exercise routine. Initially, Workout Buddy comes across as the type of friend who's there to give you a pat on the back and a helpful rundown of what you just accomplished. But people respond to different types of encouragement. As we wait for WatchOS 26 to arrive (the software is currently available only to developers), here are some different types of workout buddies that could someday -- or hopefully not, in some cases -- echo in our heads while we're sweating. I'm Impressed With iOS 26. Apple Just Made iPhones Better I'm Impressed With iOS 26. Apple Just Made iPhones Better Click to unmute Video Player is loading. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Next playlist item Unmute Current Time 0:04 / Duration 5:40 Loaded : 12.24% 0:04 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 5:36 Share Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. I'm Impressed With iOS 26. Apple Just Made iPhones Better The cheerleader: "That light sheen of sweat makes your skin positively radiant! Good job hitting the half-mile mark! Wow -- you have the resting heart rate of a 20-year-old!" The drill sergeant (said in the sweetest voice possible): "Get off your ass and burn off those donuts! You've still got two miles to go before you reach the calories you consumed, champ!" Your fittest friend who never seems to exercise: "Listen, brah, if you don't push one more mile outta this run, you're never gonna refine that six-pack and ever, like, find true love or succeed at anything in your life. Just straight-talkin' ya, brah." Your friend who keeps stats at baseball games: "You've completed 1.39 miles of this run with a heart rate of 185 beats per second and burned approximately 140 calories, which is slightly below yesterday's run, probably because you got only 6.4 hours of sleep last night and ate 50g more pasta for dinner than your usual serving…" Your chill friend: "Hey, good set. I'm right here with you. Let's do another one." The guilt-tripper: "Way to complete that 30-minute walk! Those donuts are still waiting at home!" The buddy who knows you so well: "All right, you're doing it. Look, if you can push through another half a mile, you can justify that bagel and a glass of wine tonight to celebrate." The caffeinated spin class instructor: "Let's go babes, keep on keeping on! Yeah! One and two and… That's right! You can do this!" The zen dude: "Hello there. Good morning. Let's thank our bodies for being here. And let's be present in this workout. Only 15 gentle miles of uphill running to go. Namaste." The nihilist buddy: "Wow -- is that really all you could muster? Fine, whatever, it doesn't really matter anyway." Mom: "You got out there and did a workout. You did good, hon." Werner Herzog: "You have walked 20 miles. Can you feel the futility? I can tell you haven't even left your house. Why do you make me a participant in your lies?" Maybe the most important Workout Buddy: "Hey. Hi. I know it's early, and you're warm and comfortable, but you said you were going to wake up early and go for a ride. C'mon -- you can do this. Just get out of bed. We'll do it together. Your favorite coffee shop is right at the end of the route."
